> A few years back, a student of mine, a Syrian refugee, told her story
  > about how she ended up in Canada. She brought in traditional Syrian
  > foods, delicacies that her dad had stayed up all night cooking. It was
  > one of the best days that I can remember.

On a tangent: is this... a healthy quality bar for a class presentation? Coming from the startup world, this sounds a lot like "and we all bonded so strongly at the 4 a.m. firefighting sessions." I'm glad the author enjoyed the delicacies the student's father labored all night to prepare, I guess.